🔗 Share this article The Holiday Season Often Proves to Be a Terrifying Experience for Those with Misophonia. With time, sufferers develop methods to handle their condition. Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. For her, Christmas is a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.
With time, sufferers develop methods to handle their condition. Lottie is looking forward to spending time with her loved ones during the festive period, but says one of the only ways she'll cope is by using her hearing protection - particularly at the holiday meal. For her, Christmas is a notably tough season as the sounds of other people chewing, slurping and nose-blowing make her feel intense distress. "I get this wave of sudden panic, my whole body will just tense up and it feels like I'm in danger, and I need to manage these sounds." The individual has lived with sound sensitivity for several years and for her that causes the holiday period "incredibly overwhelming". Misophonia is a reduced tolerance to specific noises, especially noises made by those around you. It's surprisingly common amongst adults. Experts reported a significant portion of people suffer from it. Often it's sounds linked to bodily functions that cause distress, along with examples such as chewing, breathing, and repetitive finger tapping. Triggering Stress The sufferer notes: "You encounter so many various auditory triggers at Christmas and that can be stressful and make you dread it. "My family are understanding, but I'm very conscious that I don't want to upset others. It's like a really big battle of sacrificing my own sanity to make sure others enjoy themselves." So it's clear why the supposedly joyous season can quickly turn into a stressful ordeal for sufferers. Sounds that may be considered normal, like someone slurping a Buck's fizz, rustling a roll of wrapping paper, or eating the holiday meal can provoke a visceral feeling that can even cause them skipping events entirely. A 21-year-old student is planning ways to get her through Christmas lunch. The student, a 21-year-old student, who has experienced sound sensitivity for over a decade, explains currently her plan is to listen to music to cope. On any other day, she would usually isolate herself in a quiet area to escape problematic noises. She explains her sensitivity is more intense around people she's closest to, so the holidays is always "difficult". "People assume you to be around loved ones, and I want to, but it's exhausting on all levels. "I feel as if this intense irritation washes over me, which can feel shameful, or I'll feel panicked and burst into tears and then the stress response will activate. "It can come across as if I'm being unreasonable and overreacting, but it's hard to explain if you haven't felt it." Several Strategies to Manage If it's an issue then there are some different techniques you can try to cope the situation, as suggested by clinical psychologists. Visualise Something Else: Creative thinking is essential. Attempt to link the particular sound bothering you with a neutral concept. For instance, try to picture someone's slurping is just a gentle stream. This technique is to teach your brain that the sound affecting you is neutral. Use Humor: Use lightheartedness and make the irritating noise into a competition with the culprit. For instance, if someone is eating noisily attempt mimicking the sound. By joining in, rather than feeling like the sound is being imposed on you, you become an active participant. And the challenge should help redirect your focus and make you a little less affected. Craft a Story: A further strategy is to try to create a little story about the reason someone creating the sound is doing it. For example if someone was making a nasal sound, it could be that they're not in good health or are troubled. This approach is altering the perception of the sound. Even though the sound doesn't change, your interpretation of it shifts from being aggravating, to feeling a bit more accepting towards it.